Hilton Global Foundation, Hilton's premier philanthropy, has announced its commitment to provide a record $3.3 million to fund 13 organizations that advance career development, community resilience and environmental sustainability. . The announcement also marks Travel with Purpose Week, which is Hilton's annual global week of service for its more than 450,000 team members around the world.
Thanks to funding provided by the Hilton Global Foundation, this year's recipients are estimated to have a positive impact on more than 50,000 community members, provide nutritious food to more than 25,000 people, divert more than 200 tons of food waste from landfills, will preserve more than 60 hectares of land and help create more than 20,000 learning and professional development opportunities. This positive impact reinforces Hilton's Travel with Purpose strategy and its efforts to create five million learning and career growth opportunities, while making a significant impact on the lives of 20 million members. the community by 2030.
«La Hilton Global Foundation se creó con la convicción de que viajar pueda convertirse en una poderosa herramienta para hacer el bien. Este año, es un orgullo para nosotros destinar más de 3 millones de dólares, nuestra mayor contribución hasta la fecha, a beneficiarios que están impulsando iniciativas que mejoran las comunidades para quienes allí viven, trabajan y viajan. Los beneficiarios de las ayudas de la Hilton Global Foundation en 2023 han demostrado el impacto positivo que pueden tener las personas y las organizaciones cuando trabajan en equipo», declaró Katherine Lugar, presidenta de la Hilton Global Foundation. «Al comprender la importancia de construir un futuro sostenible, la Hilton Global Foundation se enorgullece de apoyar a las organizaciones que desempeñan una gran labor en nuestras comunidades, y deseamos ver el impacto que seguirán teniendo».
The Hilton Global Foundation was founded in 2019 with the belief that a better world of travel can be built by partnering with people and organizations that promote positive change. Funds awarded by the Hilton Global Foundation will support various organizations that promote the environmental sustainability of tourism destinations, support the professional development of youth and other underrepresented groups, and fund projects that build the resilience of vulnerable communities throughout the world. world.
This year's beneficiaries include:
Professional Development: Organizations and initiatives that develop hospitality training, skills acquisition and career opportunities specifically focused on youth and other underrepresented groups.
(United States) Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) is the largest national youth-serving organization in the United States. Funding from the Hilton Global Foundation will support the Big Futures program, which includes Beyond School Walls, a program that will provide on-site mentoring opportunities, allowing Hilton team members engage with young people to gain hands-on work experience in hospitality.
(Mexico) The International Youth Foundation's (IYF) JuventudES program supports at-risk, unemployed and out-of-school young adults in Mexico City by providing job training in the hospitality and tourism sectors. In addition, it offers personalized assistance for job placement, all with the aim of training them so they can pursue the life they want.
(UK) Down's Syndrome Association is dedicated to improving the quality of life of people with Down syndrome, promoting their right to be included on an equal basis with others. The Hilton Global Foundation's contribution will fund programs that provide hospitality employment opportunities for people with Down syndrome. To date, 30 people participating in the program have been hired at Hilton hotels across the UK.
(Morocco) Fondation Marocaine de L'Education pour L'Emploi is associated with the Education For Employment programme, which offers demand-driven vocational training, paid employment and self-employment opportunities to young people seeking employment. Hilton Global Foundation funds will support its Yielding Opportunities and Unleashing Talents in Hospitality (YOUTH) program, which aims to improve living conditions and promote the resilience of 4,000 low-income Moroccan youth.
(UK) Only a Pavement Away connects hospitality employers with charities supporting homeless people, ex-prisoners and vulnerable veterans, providing them with a route into meaningful, long-term jobs in the industry of hospitality.
(United Arab Emirates) The SEDRA Foundation promotes all aspects of inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities. The Hilton Global Foundation will support SEDRA's Hospitality for All by All program, which aims to bridge the educational and career gaps for youth with cognitive disabilities and vulnerable groups in the Middle East and Africa regions .
(China) beYoureyeS supports visually impaired people by collaborating with companies to design inclusive and accessible workspaces. This includes the development of hospitality training programs for hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen in China.
(United States) DC Central Kitchen addresses poverty as the root of hunger and unemployment by offering innovative food access programs that not only generate employment, but also critical skills. Hilton Global Foundation funds will go toward DC Central Kitchen's culinary training program, which has the potential to create up to 40 full-time, living-wage jobs with benefits for adults and youth who have experienced food deprivation. freedom, homelessness, addictions and trauma.
Community Resilience: Organizations and initiatives that support disaster recovery efforts and create economic opportunities in their communities, including those that improve responsible business practices and human rights initiatives.
(United States) Second Servings of Houston helps nearly 200,000 Houston residents in need by recovering surplus perishable food from more than 400 food donors and distributing it through 140 local nonprofit organizations. The Hilton Global Foundation's contribution will allow Second Servings to feed low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities and veterans, while increasing their transportation capacity, allowing them to rescue an additional 181 tons of food to the year and identify 20 new collaboration sites in the community.
(Indonesia) Scholars of Sustenance Indonesia is an organization committed to promoting food equity and reducing food waste in Indonesia. They achieve this goal by rescuing surplus edible food that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it to various communities in need. This initiative not only contributes to alleviating hunger and food insecurity, but also addresses the serious problem of food waste. With the support of the Hilton Global Foundation, Scholars of Sustenance will be able to continue rescuing leftover food, benefiting both local communities and the environment.
Environmental Sustainability: Organizations and initiatives that reduce waste, improve access to drinking water, and advance Hilton's destination management goals to preserve and conserve tourism destinations.
(Costa Rica) The BioSur Foundation strengthens rainforest protection, responsible ecotourism, and green economic opportunities in the Puerto Jiménez region of Costa Rica, which is home to more than 2% of the world's biodiversity. The funds awarded by the Hilton Global Foundation will allow the BioSur Foundation to expand and preserve the vital ecosystems, springs and wildlife in the Río Nuevo Natural Reserve.
(Asia) The mission of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature, in particular by conserving and restoring biodiversity. Through funding from the Hilton Global Foundation, WWF will advance biodiversity efforts in key regions of Asia.
(New Zealand) Whakatipu Reforestation Trust is dedicated to restoring the native biodiversity of New Zealand's Whakatipu catchment. Thanks to funding from the Hilton Global Foundation, Whakatipu Reforestation Trust will restore 8 hectares of the reserve with 22,000 native trees and shrubs, preserving and conserving the unique local ecosystem and biodiversity that inhabit the catchment.
In addition to the annual funds distributed by the Hilton Global Foundation, microgrants are being awarded to local organizations nominated by team members at Hilton's nearly 7,300 properties around the world. These funds will be used to organize charitable activities in the communities where Hilton operates.
The announcement coincides with Hilton's Travel with Purpose Week, an annual week of service spanning all of Hilton's corporate properties globally, whether directly managed or franchised. Travel with Purpose Week is dedicated to advancing Hilton's Travel with a Purpose environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and the Hilton Global Foundation, while celebrating the positive impact generated by more than 450,000 Hilton team members. Worldwide.